Human
by RinTori
Summary: A Zuko and Toph friendship fic. While traveling around the Earth Kingdom with the Gaang, Zuko gets a few important reminders from Toph. Post episode 3 13.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first muli-chapter fanfic. I'll try to update regularly, but reviews will help with that. I hope you enjoy and now, please read!

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender does not belong to me. If it did, episode 3 14 would have aired already.

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Chapter One: Hole in the Ground

Zuko hastily pulled his head back into the cavern—ok, hole—Toph for made for him. Who knew that the Earth Kingdom could feel as cold as the Water Tribes? Especially when the wind was blowing hard enough to send boulders flying past at alarming speeds. He wished that it had been possible to follow Aang and the others into the village. Then maybe he wouldn't be fighting off hypothermia with little more than his short sleeved shirt, pants, boots, and cloak definitely not made for this weather. On the bright side though, it was nice to get away from Katara's blatant hostility. It was too bad he had to give up Toph's company in the process.

As pounding rattled the roof of his dwelling, Zuko jerked his head up, praying that the ceiling would hold up and cursing the blind-spot in his left eye as his scar violently grazed a protruding rock. Before long, the threat passed, once again leaving Zuko alone. It had probably been nothing more than a pissed off Earthbender, which wouldn't pose much of a threat to a Firebender of Zuko's caliber. He relaxed and settled into meditation, the first chance he had gotten in several days. His mind had the habit of degenerating rapidly into chaos when left alone. As he had no candles, he settled for a small flame hovering inches above his hand. With practiced ease, Zuko settled into a set breathing pattern and drifted away from his body.

Almost immediately, it traveled to his mother. Where was she? Did she know that he had thought she died for nearly ten years, or did she think he abandoned her? How was she doing?

_She's most likely in Earth Kingdom, I'll deal with that when I see her, and…_ His attempts at self-assurance trailed off. _She's strong,_ he reminded himself. _She can pull through anything. She has to._

His mind continued wandering as he did basic housekeeping in his mind, amazed that it wasn't in worse shape. Maybe discovering his destiny and peace of mind had helped…

A sudden burst of air found his hiding spot, rousing him from his meditation. Slowly, he opened his eyes, staring blankly at the dancing flame in front of him. It was just as well. He had been about to tread on the topic of why exactly he was shivering in a hole while the rest of his traveling companions (he hesitated to call any of them friends; he wasn't sure what their reaction to it would be) were spending the night in the nearby town, searching for the Earth King. That was a mood buster if nothing else was.

His stomach growled loudly, informing him how long it had been since the previous meal. Digging around his bag, Zuko pulled out rations and devoured them rapidly. Content, he curled up around his few possessions, single hand grasping the hilts of his swords. His breathing evened out and eyes remained open for less and less time. Eventually, they closed entirely, sending him off to a different world.

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The mouse and go button are long-lost siblings. Please re-unite them and click the button to submit a review. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But, my birthday isn't too far off...

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Chapter 2: Conversations

A twig snapped, causing Zuko to awaken from his slumber. Slowly, he drew his swords from their sheath, careful to minimize the noise. Soft footsteps approached his hiding place; he adjusted his position in case of a fight. The person came to a halt immediately outside the entrance.

"Who's there?" he called. "I'm armed; this is your only warning."

"Put those things away before you hurt someone with them, Sparkey," a familiar voice snapped back.

"Toph?" His good eye widened in surprise as he complied with her order. "What are you doing out here? I thought you'd like the chance to sleep out of the wind."

"Don't confuse me with Sugar Queen. I really don't care one way or the other. I decided to join you because Queenie would _not shut up_. So since you're more of the silent type," she snorted at some private joke, "I figured I'd get a better night's sleep here with you rather than in some barn listening to the bitchings of a drama queen."

Zuko shrugged. "Fine by me. You might want to make this place a little bigger though, or else it'll be pretty cramped."

"So he _does_ have a brain. And he uses it too." She smirked. "I was about to do that anyway." With great precision, she pushed back all the walls to the cave and lowered the floor enough so that Zuko could stand without problems. "Good enough for you?"

"It's fine." He lay down, relishing the ability to completely stretch out. "Good night."

"G'night," she yawned. "You better not snore."

Chuckling quietly, Zuko returned to sleep, absently wondering if this was what having a younger sister was supposed to be like.

When he woke up several hours later, the sun was peaking through the opening, sending everything into sharp relief. Toph was sorting out a pile of food and had obviously gone outside, if the bundle of firewood was anything to go by.

"Hungry?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the food. His stomach answered for him, causing him to blush lightly. At least Toph couldn't see it…

"I'll take that as a yes." She pointed to the wood. "Can you get a fire going? Unless you like your eggs raw, that is."

Silently, Zuko re-arranged the wood so that the fire would last the longest before lighting it. Stifling a yawn, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes; it was always nice to be able to see what you were eating.

Neither of them talked much during breakfast, focusing on inhaling the food in front of them instead. Also, Toph didn't exactly come across as a morning person, much like himself, so not talking was fine by him. It wasn't as though he'd be able to form a coherent sentence anyway.

As the pair cleaned up from the meal, Zuko found himself with the job of cleaning off the pans Toph had used for cooking. After spending the better part of an hour just _searching_ for some water (it seemed that water was still as rare now as it had been the last time he visited) and then another three-fourths of an hour cleaning and finding his way back, he found himself wondering why exactly Toph couldn't have done it. After all, she wouldn't have gotten lost and wouldn't have taken nearly as long.

He slipped back into their dwelling, with every intention of asking her precisely that. Instead, he was beaten to initiating the conversation by a rather solemn Toph.

"I met Li," she informed him, waiting for his reaction.

"What are you talking about?" he replied cautiously, wondering where this was headed.

"Don't play dumb; it doesn't suit you. I'm talking about that boy you met last time you were here, that you saved from the Earth Kingdom soldiers." She paused and narrowed her eyes. "And don't even think about lying. You're a worse liar than Aang."

"What about Li?" he asked, subdued. His companions meeting the boy might not be the best thing; after all, who knew how Li remembered their encounter. It could piss Katara off even more—and pissed off teenage waterbenders were among the scariest things in existence, according to Zuko.

"He told us this story about a firebender who came to this village about six months ago and drove out all the Earth Kingdom soldiers who were terrorizing the place. Of course, I got the feeling that he altered the story quite a bit, since in it the firebender was about six feet tall and ate raw meat for breakfast, but there were enough similarities to make connections. Like, twin swords and a scar on his left eye."

"Why are you telling me this?" He felt like a small child whose security blanket was being ripped away violently; it probably was reflected in his voice as well. Did she have a point, or was she just trying to make him feel horrible?

"His rejection of you hurt a lot, didn't it?" Zuko wished she would look somewhere else; her blank stare was unnerving. "You obviously cared for him; why else would you have given him the knife Iroh gave you?"

"How do you know about that?"

"What, about you giving him the knife or that your uncle gave it to you?"

"Both."

"His mother mentioned something along the lines of Li pulling a knife out on the soldiers during this little encounter; seems like she had the idea that you gave him the knife so that he'd get into trouble with the soldiers. And your memory must really suck, 'cause you were the one who told me about Iroh giving you that knife from the siege of Ba Sing Se."

"Oh."

"You're not very talkative today, are you?"

"Does all this have a point?" he asked wearily. "Because if it does, please get to it."

Toph sighed. "Fine. Zuko, what hurt more, getting that scar, or Li thinking that you're a monster?"

Zuko winced and focused on the ground, to avoid her unwavering gaze. _Why does she have to be so damn perceptive?_ he thought. "I, I guess Li thinking that…" He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, even in his own mind.

"And there's my point."

He jerked his head up. "What?"

She sighed. "I'm going to have to spell it out for you, aren't I?

"You can't blame Li for thinking that you're a monster, because that thought has crossed your mind too many times for it to be dismissed easily. And Katara's treatment of you probably hasn't helped much either. But, the fact that this hurts so much, and that you want to be accepted so badly proves that you aren't a monster."

Zuko stared blankly at her. What was she saying? And how was it that in just a few weeks she had dissected his thoughts, wants, and fears?

"Zuko, you're human, just the same as everybody else. I think that sometimes you're so wrapped up in the evil that you did in the past that you can't see it."

He shook his head. "Toph, you have no idea of what I've done. Some of it I don't think I'll ever be able to be forgiven for. Not even Katara, Aang, and Sokka know everything I did."

Toph shrugged carelessly. "So what? You made mistakes. Big deal. So have I, and everyone else. Yours just happen to have more consequences to them. And you've changed. You said so yourself. You aren't the same person anymore." She smiled. "And I'm sure Iroh will forgive you. You're like a son to him after all."

Zuko didn't try to hide his amazement of the girl before him. Was she even human? Or was she some sort of spirit? He was vaguely aware of her moving around, collecting the scoured utensils from him, muttering about people who couldn't clean under her breath. The weight of their conversation hit him on the head, overloading his mind, and sending him into darkness.

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A/N: Whoo-hoo! Another chapter! And the next day too. I guess there's something to be said for being home able to do nothing but write. Please review. Even if you didn't like it, tell me why you didn't like it; after all, constructive criticism is always welcome. Flames on the other hand, will be used for target practice. Thank you! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow, I'm really surprising myself with how fast I'm writing these chapters...

Also, please, please, PLEASE review!! I have gotten several hundred hits, but only one review! The more people who review, the more I want to write. It's kinda like an author's version of caffeine, plus Jolt, times ten. I'll remind you again at the end of this chapter. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own. If I did, would I be writing here?

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Chapter 3: Drowning

Toph lay back against the craggy wall, watching the unconscious firebender. It was a pity he was so introverted; talking things out seemed to be the best thing for him. Still, it was nice that she could help him. After all, she did owe Iroh for helping her out.

The earth was constantly sending her messages, most of which she generally filed away in her subconscious, sparing them little thought. However, there were on occasion things that required immediate attention. Like the arrival of a brigade of soldiers for one. Or, in this particular case, the arrival of a typhoon, complete with insane winds and torrents of water. Since their current abode was underground, and water generally traveled with gravity, this could cause problems. Namely, drowning. The only place they could go was the village, but Zuko would say that he wouldn't be welcome there. And he'd probably be right, too.

Mind made up, Toph crawled over to Zuko and shook him awake, ignoring the twinge she felt disturbing someone who looked so peaceful.

"What is it?" he muttered, sleep thickening his voice.

"It's raining pretty hard. We have to head over to the village or else we'll drown."

At that, Zuko shot up, all traces of sleep gone. "What?! Hell no! In case you'd forgotten, I'm not exactly welcome there!"

"Well too bad!" she shot back. "That's your only choice, if you don't want to _die_. You have to face your past at some point, y'know. Might as well get started now."

They glared at each other, neither side backing down, determined not to blink. Their staring contest was interrupted as a droplet of water plunked onto Zuko's nose. Several more followed in quick succession. He raised his eyes to the gathering moisture before turning back to Toph. "The village you say?"

She nodded, not bothering to keep the smug expression from her face. "Yup. And the sooner we get going, the less soaked we'll get and the less mud we'll have to trek through."

He exhaled tiredly, letting it flap his lips. "Fine. Let's go." Diving into his pack, he pulled out his cloak and tugged it over his head before raising the hood. As he swung his swords over his back, he turned to Toph. "Don't you have a cloak or something?"

"Nope. Don't worry; it'll take a lot more than a little water to take down this earthbender." She flashed him a cocky grin.

"If you say so," he replied skeptically. Without another word, the duo crawled out of the opening and into the warring elements. The wind forced them to bow to it as they trudged forward, Toph occasionally calling out directions. The icy rain pelted them mercilessly, drenching them in seconds, chilling them to the bone.

After about half an hour of traveling, Toph stumbled, nearly falling face first into the mud. "You okay?" Zuko called back, his voice nearly lost in the howling winds.

"Fine," she replied, embarrassed. Why'd he have to see her like that? Then again, she had seen him at his most vulnerable; maybe this was karma. She scrambled back up and continued. Minutes later, she fell again.

"What's wrong?" Zuko was right next to her, helping her up. Hastily, Toph dismissed the mud from her outfit, wishing away the light blush on her face.

"I'm not sure," she replied, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. "It might be the rain. I'm having troubles feeling my feet."

He sighed. "Do you think you'll be able to make it to the village?"

"No."

He nodded. "Alright. Get on." He knelt in front of her.

"What?"

"I'll carry you. It's better than you losing a foot or something 'cause of frostbite."

She scowled, hating to be defenseless. But, in their current situation, it wasn't as though there was much of a choice. "Fine. But not a word. Got it?"

He smiled gently. "Not a word. Promise." He turned his back to her. "Now get on before you freeze to death."

Wordlessly, Toph complied, wrapping her arms around his neck and gripped his sides with her legs. "Hurry up. I'd like to get out of this goddamn weather."

She felt him laugh, but his reply was chased away by the wind. He continued onward, leaning against the blustering air. For every two steps he took, he was forced back one. Finally, the village came into view. Zuko called something back at her, but it didn't reach her ears.

"What did you say?" she yelled back.

"I said, where are you staying?" he shouted, aiming for her ear.

Toph paused, worried about his reaction. "With Li and his family," she answered hesitantly.

He didn't answer, but changed direction, heading towards the outskirts rather than the center of town. Carefully, he navigated the windy road leading to the farm, doing everything in his power not to fall, considering the plausible disastrous results for them both.

"Are we there yet?" she grumbled into his hood.

"Tired of my company already?" he asked.

"What? No! It's just—" She scowled. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

Zuko didn't reply, but a few strains of a jaunty tune reached her ears. "I'll take that as a yes," Toph muttered.

Before long, Li's family's farm came into view. She felt him hesitate, staring at the building that carried too many memories for such a short period of time. "We going in or what, Sparkey?"

"I'm going, I'm going," he replied; it sounded like he was grinning. "Wouldn't want you to freeze or anything."

They reached the door to the house moments later. Zuko paused as sounds of laughter reached them. Gently Toph squeezed his neck encouragingly. "Let's go in. I'd really rather not freeze or something."

He nodded but said nothing as he knocked on the wooden door. Inside, some of the chatter stopped and footsteps were heard approaching the door. When it was swung open, Zuko found himself staring at Li's mother.

"Can I help you?" she asked cautiously. I guess she hasn't recognized Zuko yet, Toph thought. It's just as well; we can save that little surprise for later.

Knowing that there was no way Zuko would start talking, Toph pulled herself up so that she was visible over Zuko's shoulder. "Hi, it's me again. Mind if we stay the night?"

She smiled. "Of course. Your friends are inside. Don't just stand there; you'll catch your death!" She ushered them inside and escorted them to the fireplace where Aang, Sokka, and Katara were seated.

The older woman turned to Zuko. "I'm sorry, but have we met? You seem familiar."

He turned the scarred portion of his face away and muttered something intelligible, letting Toph down in the process.

"I didn't hear that. What did you say?" she asked.

"Yes, we've met," he muttered. "And I'll understand if you don't want me to stay here."

Her eyes widened as she took a second look at his face, comprehension dawning. "What are you doing back here?" she demanded. "I thought it had been made clear that nobody ever wanted to see you here ever again."

"And he was respecting your village's wishes, until that little storm out there flooded the place he was staying," Toph interjected. "Just let him stay the night and we'll be out of your hair tomorrow."

Li's mother turned to Aang. "What is your relationship with this person?" ("You can't even call him by name?" Toph grumbled under her breath.)

The young Avatar look between the two, his bewilderment apparent in his eyes. "He's my firebending teacher," he answered.

The woman thought for a moment before turning back to Zuko. "You may stay here tonight, but I want you out of here first thing tomorrow morning. Understood?"

He bowed politely in response before moving next to Toph, hoping to achieve relative dryness sometime before the next century.

A few minutes later, the door burst open and a small bundle of energy hurtled in. "Mom! Guess what I found in the…" He stopped as his eyes found Zuko.

"Li?"

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Please drop a review! I like to know what people liked, didn't like, ect. It gives me motivation for writing too. It doesn't even take that long! 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to update. I know I mentioned to a few of you in review replies that I hoped to have this chapter up by Tuesday at the latest, but that obviously didn't happen. I had some troubles with Li's reaction; since there's only one episode to go on, I hope it's realistic. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!

Disclaimer: Avatar does not belong to me. Zuko on the other hand...

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Chapter 4: Li 

The first thing Zuko noticed was that more of Li's teeth had grown in. His hair was longer, and he probably had gone through a growth spurt recently. But he didn't get a chance to see any further changes, as the younger boy bolted out the still open door, ignoring his mother as she called after him. She started after him, but stopped as a strong hand grabbed her arm.

"I'll go after him," Zuko told her, pulling up his sodden hood. "I'm already soaked."

Not waiting for debate, he dashed outside, chasing Li's shrinking figure. Before long, he lost sight of the boy in the sheets of rain Mud splashed onto his boots and cloak, clinging to the fabric as he ran along path after path through the fields. After going along dozens of paths with no luck, Zuko tried to think of where the boy might go to hide. The barn was too obvious; there wasn't anywhere to hide in the vegetable fields. As for the village—that was unlikely, since he had seen Li run off towards his family's property. Even in distress, he doubted anyone would try to make the trek to the village in this weather. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

Why didn't I think of that earlier? he groaned to himself, mentally beating his head against some rock that conveniently appeared in his mind. Zuko turned around and raced to the first place he should have gone after losing sight of Li.

Before long, the field of sunflowers where he taught Li how to use his swords came into view. The petals were being beaten off their center by the harsh rain, their radiance lost in the mud. As he approached the dead trunk in the center, a small figure huddled at its base came into view. Cautiously, he slowed down and stopped a few feet away from the boy.

"What do you want?" Li snapped, his face buried between his arms. His curled up legs made him seem even younger than he was.

"Your mother is worried about you," he answered, not sure what else to say.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Zuko sighed and sat down, ignoring the mud. They'd probably be there for a while. "What do you want me to say?"

His question was met with silence. Honestly, he didn't know what he should say. If one was to take a poll among his acquaintances, the general response would be that Zuko had a talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Now was not a good time to test out that streak.

"Why are you here now? Why did you come back?"

"I didn't have much of a choice. My…traveling companions decided to come this way, looking for…someone. I was staying outside this village, but the current weather forced me to come here. Since the others I'm traveling with are staying here, I came here as well."

"'Traveling companions'? Aren't they your friends?"

Zuko winced. "They don't trust me, because of my past. Well," he amended, "all but one don't. Not entirely at any rate."

Li fell silent as the rain continued pouring. After a minute, he started talking. "Everything used to be so simple. The Earth Kingdom was good, Fire Nation was evil. Black and white. Then those soldiers showed up; then you. Those soldiers hurt the village; you helped it. Everything still fit into two categories. But then…" He paused and raised his head so that it was resting on his folded arms. "But you were—you are—a firebender. The son of the Fire Lord, of all people.

"It made no sense. You were helping us by defeating the soldiers, but you shouldn't be. You're who we're supposed to be protected from, yet you were protecting us from those soldiers."

Zuko frowned. He had a suspicion of where this was going, and didn't like it.

"That first time you fire bended—everything just shattered. Black and white disappeared and instead there was this _gray_." For the first time, Li met Zuko's eyes. Gone was the innocence, replaced by understanding of the world. He was older. He was like all the others Zuko had met—Toph, Jet, Sokka, Aang, the list went on and on. Li was older than a boy his age had any right to be.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing that simple phrase hardly covered everything. He got to his feet and walked to the sobbing boy, repeating those words continuously. Suddenly Li jumped up and tried to push Zuko away. When that failed, he started punching the teen's chest.

Zuko made no move to protect himself; from his point of view, destroying the simplicity of a child's mind was one of the worst things someone could do. How long had it been since his father did it to him? Like father, like son.

Eventually, the blows faded away as Li realized Zuko wasn't fighting back. He looked up at the older boy, confusion showing through his eyes. Gently, as though approaching a wounded animal, Zuko placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, trying to calm the boy down. That seemed to have the desired effect. All the tension flowed out of his body and he dropped his head against Zuko's body. "I'm still mad at you," he muttered half-heartedly.

"Of course," he replied, smiling slightly. He let Li stay there, neither of them moving from their positions. After a few more minutes in the freezing rain, the cold got through to Li, his thin shoulders shivering under Zuko's hands. "Do you want to go back?"

He nodded, pulling away as he sneezed violently. "Let's go."

They walked back together, splattering through the mud in their haste to get out the detestable weather. When they were nearly twenty feet from the house, Li slipped in the frigid mud, grabbing Zuko's sleeve in his panic. He lost his balance, falling into the muck along with the boy.

The door swung open. Standing there was Toph, a huge smirk plastered on her face, the occasional snigger escaping. Behind her, Sokka and Aang were peering over her shoulders, trying to see what caused the earth bender's laughter. "So, Sparkey…"

"Not another word, Toph," Zuko scowled. He struggled to his feet, helping Li up as well. "Now get this damned mud off us."

She flicked her wrist, all the mud sliding off their garments like glass. "Sure, sure. Now get inside, or do you want to get pneumonia?"

Ignoring her teasing smirk, Zuko followed Li inside, taking time to pull on Toph's bangs. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

She stuck her tongue out, not bothering to reply beyond that. Li's mother was stood waiting by the fire with Katara, blankets at the ready. She fussed over her son, nearly burying him beneath layers of cloth.

Katara walked over to the former prince. "Hold still," she ordered coldly. "I'm checking you for illness. We can't stay here too long."

He complied as she examined his lungs and heart. Satisfied that he wasn't about to drop dead, the water bender went over to check Li. Zuko took the towel Aang offered him with a murmur of thanks and started drying his hair. Concentrating on his inner fire, he took a spark from it and sent it into his bloodstream, feeling the heat throughout his body. It was a pity he couldn't do anything about his clothes. Exhausted as the events of the day caught up with him, he sat with his back against the wall, out of the way of the others. Before long, he was out cold.

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A/N: Hmm...I end a lot of chapters with Zuko falling asleep, don't I? Oh well. Also, this fic is going to be much longer than origninaly planned. Apparently when plot bunnies get busy, they get _really_ busy. So, Li's not going to be in it much longer. But the focus of the story will still be Zuko and Toph's relationship. 

Once again, thanks for reading and please review!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'll keep this one brief, but in short, I'm so sorry that it's been almost two months since my last update. So sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I had that sort of genius, I would _rich_.

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The next morning came too soon, forcing the group to awaken and finish packing everything onto Appa

The next morning came too soon, forcing the group to awaken and finish packing everything onto Appa. Zuko helped a sleepy Sokka throw the heavier bags onto the bison's back while Katara and Aang checked the provisions one last time. Toph and Li had disappeared before anyone else woke up. By the time the sun came all the way over the horizon, they were all set—with the exception of a missing earth bender.

"Where is she?" Katara muttered, crossing her arms across her chest. "She knows we're leaving soon…"

"Maybe she saw something in the village and wanted to check it out," Aang suggested distractedly, playing with Momo.

"Like what?" Sokka challenged, throwing his hands up. "There's just about as much here as at the South Pole!" His remark was met with questioning looks from the fire benders and a withering glare from his sister. A fierce argument broke out between the siblings, quickly forcing their companions to tune them out.

Zuko turned toward the path leading to the village, squinting as the sun blazed in his eyes. "I think she's coming," he told the others. Katara and Sokka's squabble ended mid-rant, as Katara marched over to the returning earth bender.

"Where were you?" she demanded. "Next time you feel the need to wander off, tell somebody where you're going, so we know where you are."

Sokka joined in. "Yeah, and now we're off schedule! So now, lunch breaks are shortened to five minutes for the rest of this trip." His proclamation was met with withering glares and a deafening roar from an unpleased bison. "Or not," he muttered.

"Sorry, I was just gathering information from the villagers, to see if he's passed through here anytime recently," Toph explained, throwing her bag on Appa's back.

"But we already did that, Toph," Aang reminded her. "Nobody saw anything."

She smiled, a wicked glint in her eye. "Well, apparently your method of asking wasn't persuasive enough, 'cause according to some of the people I talked to, he passed through here a week ago, headed toward the south. With any luck, we can catch up to him in a day or two."

Sokka broke the shocked silence that accompanied her information. "Toph, you're amazing."

Instead of flashing her usual cocky grin, she turned away, hiding her tinted cheeks. Deciding to distract the others from Toph's unusual behavior and get his own question answered in the process, Zuko asked, "Where's Li?"

She turned to him, surprise etched in her features. "He's not back yet? He said he was heading off about half an hour ago." She paused. "Wait, he's on his way here. He'll be here any second."

Moments later, Li burst into his family's yard, red-faced and breathing heavily. His first few attempts at speaking resulted in indiscernible wheezes, as he doubled over, trying to regain control over his breathing. "He's coming home," he gasped. "They'll be here any day."

"Li! Next time you feel the need to leave the farm before dawn and go tramping all over town, please have the decency to tell me!" Sela bustled out of the house, portrait of an irate mother. "With your father and brother gone—"

"But he's coming home! Sen Tzu's battalion's going to be stationed here for awhile, waiting for the orders of the Earth King, or something. He'll probably have to leave sooner or later, but he'll be home for at least."

Sela fell as her knees gave out, eyes shining at the prospect of seeing her eldest son once more. Li promptly ran over to her, letting her grab him for support as their tears of relief and joy flowed freely.

"A whole battalion?" Sokka muttered, making sure the rejoicing family couldn't hear. "How's a town this size supposed to support them? I doubt they have extra food just lying around."

"I doubt it's a full one," Zuko replied. "Last time I was here, this battalion had just been captured by Fire Nation. These are probably the survivors who managed to get away during battle and rejoin the Earth King's army."

"During the battle?" Katara asked quizzically. "What's that supposed to mean?"

As quickly as possible, Zuko explained the Fire Nation's practice concerning prisoners-of-war. His description was followed by an awkward silence, as the rest of the group searched for a less depressing topic.

"Anyone heard how Earth Rumble 8's going?" Toph asked, sparking a heated debate between herself and Sokka on which Earth bender participating was the best, since the Blind Bandit and the Boulder weren't in it. Once it became obvious that their argument was about to reach the "won't end for a komodo rhino stampede" phase, Katara coughed delicately.

"Don't we have to leave soon to catch up with the Earth King?" she reminded her brother, effectively ending the debate and saving everybody's eardrums from the ensuing noise. Toph's bags were slung onto Appa's back as a tearful Sela gave them enough food to last a few days. Before he climbed on Appa, Li pulled Zuko aside.

"About the last time you were here, and the stuff with the soldiers, it's, I just, I never thanked—"

"Don't worry about it." Zuko smiled slightly. "Your family gave me food and a place to stay, and I tried to help out best I could. We're even." Li furrowed his brows in confusion, prompting Zuko to smile more. "I'll see you 'round, kid." He gently ruffled Li's hair, and jumped up on the flying bison.

Aang floated onto his friend's head and grabbed the reins. "Yip yip!" he called. Appa roared and took off, headed towards the village where the Earth King was last seen.

* * *

Several hours later (and just about the time Toph started complaining of air sickness), Aang brought Appa down just outside a village slightly bigger than Li's. "We are sure the Earth King's here, right?" Sokka asked, peering down at the dilapidated houses.

"He did say that he wanted to travel the world," Aang reminded them cheerfully, hopping down.

"This counts as 'the world'?" Toph muttered.

"Well, we're not going to find him just standing around," the Avatar continued, apparently not hearing Toph's comment, as he bounded into the village.

"Alright, the fastest way to find him would be to split up—" Sokka stopped short as he realized that everybody had done just that, leaving him alone at the edge of the village. Muttering under his breath, Sokka started his search for the Earth King.

Zuko stuck to the outskirts, hoping to avoid a scene if his identity was discovered. In general, it was remarkably easy, considering the huge scar covering a fourth of his face, to avoid recognition. But with the fall of Ba Sing Se, and Fire Nation soldiers roaming everywhere, it didn't hurt to air to the side of caution. As he turned a corner, he found himself face to face with a…

_What is that? _Zuko thought, trying to remember if he'd ever seen such a strange creature before. Then it hit him. _This must be a bear. Strange creature. _"So, uh, where's your master?" he asked, clueless as to how he should find the other half of the traveling pair. In response, the bear roared at him, turned around and walked back the way he came. He followed, as he had no better ideas for finding the elusive Earth King. After several minutes of trailing behind the lumbering animal, he was still no closer to finding the bear's owner. A storm of snickers bombarded him as he turned yet another corner in the maze of alleys. "Hello, Toph. Enjoying yourself?"

"Immensely," she replied, her cat grin growing by the second. "It's not everyday you see a royal prince trailing one of the most ridiculous looking animals in existence." Getting up from her resting place against the wall, Toph sauntered alongside the pair. "And yes, I do realize you're giving me 'a look' but my lack of eye-vision lets me ignore it."

"And you know where the Earth King is." Zuko interjected.

"Aww, you just ruined the entire suspense," she groaned, punching him in the arm.

"So, are we going to get everyone and meet up with him, or are we going to incur the wrath of everyone else by not telling them about this until the last possible moment?"

"I suppose we should go get them. They can do some serious damage when they're pissed off." At the next intersection, she turned off to the side. "I'll go get the others. You stay here with Bosco."

"Bosco?"

"That's the bear's name," she grinned over her shoulder. "Be nice. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Before long, Toph returned with the other three. "You two do realize that's just his bear, right?" Katara said, arms crossed across her chest.

"But his bear isn't moving," Toph explained. "The Earth King is, which makes Bosco a better meeting point."

"But that doesn't make sense," Sokka argued. "Animals like to roam around even more than humans. Why would he stay still?"

"I think that he's attached to Zuko," Aang replied, a mischievous grin growing. "Not as much as the Earth King, but enough."

"So you mean he's got a thing for royal idiots?" Katara smirked.

Zuko sighed. "C'mon, let's just meet up with the Earth King already."

Toph squeezed around the bear before leading the rest of the group to their target. They walked for just under a quarter of a mile before she stopped in front of a door. "He's inside."

"You made me wait when he was this close?" Zuko deadpanned.

"Hey, we had this conversation already. We decided it was best for our collective safety to wait," she muttered.

The banished prince pinched his nose with thumb and forefinger. "Let's just get this over with."

Aang pushed the door open. "Hey, long time no see!"

* * *

A/N: So, the basic reason as to why this update was so long in coming is because my doctor forbade me from "excessive typing" due to this lovely thing known as carpel tunnel syndrome. And since it can be rather serious, my parental unit enforced this rule. So, my deepest apologies, this should not happen again. I'm also sorry that this is only a transition chapter too. But after this, the pace should pick up a bit. My goal is to have this finished before the series finale in July. Those of you who haven't seen the trailer or the clip from episode 3 17, go watch them now. They're amazing.

Please leave a review! They make me happy.


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